Category Archives: Joy

Well, as my fellow yoga therapy students and I press on towards the end of our (rather gruelling) 2+ year Yoga Therapy Diploma Course, I am beginning to reflect on why I first decided to become a Yoga Therapist, and how that has changed and developed over the past 18 months.

Restorative poses are prescribed for their ability to relax and heal on a deeply therapeutic level.

My initial aim was, of course, to “help” people. An important part of yoga philosophy is that of being of service to others (Karma Yoga) and a Yoga Therapist holds a unique position which enables him or her to combine modern Western knowledge and science with traditional Eastern yogic techniques to cultivate methods of healing. When I first applied for a place on the course, I passionately wanted to be able to ease suffering and encourage empowerment and ownership of did-ease and other disruptions to wellbeing. Of course, I still feel the same way, however, I now understand that these disruptions exist on many different levels within the person, and that, in order for true healing to take place, every level has to be addressed and healed.

A secondary aim was to continue to spread the benefits of yoga as widely as I could. Yoga is purely experiential. Any student knows that we can talk about (and understand) the many physical, psychological, emotional and spiritual benefits of yoga, however the value is in actually spending regular time on our mat experiencing yoga. When we are in that most peaceful of places: at home in our body, experiencing the breath, that is when we truly feel the power of yoga.

Now imagine harnessing all that energy and focusing it precisely where it is needed to improve a particular aspect (or aspects) of wellbeing, then, you have Yoga Therapy.

If you would like to know more about Yoga Therapy, go to my Yoga Therapy page at: Yoga Therapy, or contact me at: Contact Sarah.

What gives you joy? When did you last really experience it? Why do you think that was?

Joy may sometimes seem like such a profound feeling and yet we normally find it in the simplest of things. I remember feeling pure joy when I watched my toddlers playing (many years ago now). Their simple enjoyment of life translated into a feeling of perfect happiness for me. Sometimes I may notice a seemingly perfect view in nature and experience the joy of knowing that everything is just how it should be.

I don’t believe that joy is something that can be chased or looked for, it is just there in the simplicity of the moment or the purity of the experience. So maybe the answer is not to look, but to feel and experience instead.

And maybe the easiest way to do that, as an adult, is to connect to our inner child. To most children, life is simply there to be lived. Children will naturally discover fun and pleasure in the simplest of activities. Maybe we should take a leaf out of their book, and cast our cares and concerns aside for a time, whilst we engage in the joy of life.